The Camellia Grill opened in 1946.[1] Despite suffering little physical damage, the restaurant was closed after Hurricane Katrina until April 2007, when it reopened under new ownership.[2][3] During this period of closure, the Camellia Grill's front door was festooned with hundreds of notes from locals and tourists who missed it.[4]

The restaurant only offers counter service and its staff is usually gregarious. It is well known for its long-serving waiters, the most famous of whom was probably Harry Tervalon, Sr., who was the first waiter hired in 1946, and who even after his 1996 retirement remained associated with the restaurant (including cutting the ribbon when the Grill finally reopened after Katrina), until his death in August 2007.[5]

The restaurant was purchased in 2006 by local restaurateur Hicham Khodr, who later opened a branch in the French Quarter (as well as a now-closed branch in Destin, Florida). In May 2012, a state court ruled that Khodr was in breach of his licensing agreement with the former owner, and this ruling was upheld on appeal in May 2013, meaning that Khodr could be required to change the name of the restaurants.[6][7] However, in July 2015 he won the right to continue using the restaurant's trademark, name and logo.[8]